Crockpot Minestrone Soup
In order to keep our electric bill and my stress levels down, I've been using my slow cooker a lot more lately. The problem is, so many recipes I find use preservative-laden sauces or broths to bring the flavor, so I decided to come up with my own. This soup is seasoned with herbs and is vegetarian, dairy free (unless you top it with cheese), preservative free, and loaded with vegetables!

Crockpot Minestrone Soup
(For Printable PDF click HERE)
Slow cooker | Dairy Free | Vegan | Vegetarian | Preservative Free
Serves: 6 | Active Prep Time: 25 minutes | Cook Time: 4 hours
Ingredients:
1 yam
1/2 butternut squash
1 onion
2 zucchinis
2 carrots
2 cups black beans
1 cup macaroni
1 cup water
Juice of 1 lemon (approx. 3 T)
1/4 t sea salt
1/2 T oregano
1 T basil
2 T dried parsley
2 garlic cloves
pepper
10 Roma tomatoes
Chop all vegetables except tomatoes into bite sized pieces and drop into slow cooker.
Add drained black beans
Finely chop garlic, and add garlic, salt, oregano, basil, parsley, pepper, lemon juice and water to slow cooker.
Halve tomatoes and lay on top
Cook on high for 4 hours
Boil one cup of macaroni (or another small noodle) and stir in.
Dish up, top with Parmesan cheese (unless, of course, you're keeping it dairy free), and enjoy!
